JOIN is the name of a coffee shop - a petite joint located at Bulungan, South Jakarta, where you can enjoy good coffee with budget-friendly price, yet high quality coffee beans. Some nights, the boys and I would just drive ourselves to the coffee shop to enjoy a sip or two of our favorite joe, and converse with endless topic like there's no tomorrow.
Other than coffee, they also have some munchies to enjoy your beverage with. The grilled sandwich, for example, are available with various fillings such as chocolate sprinkles, cheese, Nutela, and many more. They are grilled with a sandwich toaster that would create funky pattern on the bun. The edges of the sandwich would be crusty and stiff, while the middle part would be squishy and soft. Very simple, yet deliciously enjoyable.
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| My chocolate sandwich |
One night, the baristas were trying out their new creation named Paradise. They manually brewed their coffee beans on the spot and let their hands do the magic. I just sat there edgily, waiting for my cold beverage to be served, like a curious puppy.
A minute later, I was served with a glass of bubbly latte. The spectrum of chocolate was mesmerizing as the color gets darker and darker from the upper part of the glass until the bottom. In the middle of the glass was a marble-like pattern created by the latte as it clashed with each other.
Paradise tasted like rainbow. There were so many flavors in one glass. I could taste the bitter coffee beans dominated the whole drink, but at the same time the sourness of the espresso hit me. There was a hint of sweetness now and then, but not that strong compared to the bitterness. Loving the bubbly and creamy texture of the drink, but the coffee was so strong I couldn't sleep the whole night and I had trouble at the ladies room in the morning. Blame me for having a weak colon.
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| Bubbly top |
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| A glass of Paradise |
What makes JOIN special is that even though the coffee place is very small, and located just at the corner of a sport hall, it is packed with crowds almost every night. And the people who come to the coffee shop are somewhat quirky and very artsy - very hipster like if I may say, judging from their unique ways of dressing up.
There is no signature taste and flavor for the drinks being sold at JOIN because every barista has their own signature way of making the beverages. My favorite, and also my good pal's favorite barista, would be Brutus, a sour faced chubby guy with black wavy hair who is actually fun to talk to. Another favorite of mine was DM, a petite college guy majoring in music and art at Institut Kesenian Jakarta who plays music like non other. Too bad he resigned from the coffee shop to work towards his degree.
It has been a while since the last time I hang out at JOIN with my good pals, Galuh and Ega. I might visit the coffee shop this weekend to bring back them good old memories. What do you say, guys?
JOIN - Kedai Kopi Bulungan
Jalan Bulungan, Blok C No. 1
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta
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